Hong Kong (UCAN): Father Lu Danhua remains unaccounted for eight months after he was taken away from the dormitory of Qingtian Catholic Church in Zhejiang province, by personnel from Qingtian Religious Affairs Bureau.

When he was detained on 29 December 2017, bureau personnel said they just wanted a brief chat and later said the priest had been taken to Wenzhou to study new religious regulations and return after legal registration.

Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of the unofficial Church in Wenzhou called for fasting and a Mass to be celebrated on the 29th of each month for the safety of Father Lu.

The bishop also called on people to recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet while praying for the priest’s strong faith, good health and return.

Bishop Shao along with other Church people in Wenzhou have enquired about Father Lu’s whereabouts without success.

The bishop was himself detained by authorities in May 2017 but was released in January.
Father Lu is the only priest in sparsely populated Diocese of Lishui, which is adjacent to Wenzhou.

“He has wholeheartedly taken care of the churches in Qingtian, Leishi, Dalu, Wanshan and Jingning in the diocese. He is willing to serve the weak. The Church members are full of praise for his enthusiastic pastoral care,” a source said.